Dare to be a Champion – Lee Chong Wei Book Review

Datuk Lee Chong Wei made his first appearance in the finals of a major badminton tournament at the tender age of 21-years old at the 2003 Malaysia Open. Merely five years later, Datuk Lee is crowned as World Number 1 Badminton Male Singles Player, a grand title which he would successfully retain for over 172 weeks.

Due to his valiant contribution of cinching nearly every major badminton tournament ever held since his first debut, Datuk Lee has been hailed as the, “Hero of the Nation” by Dato’ Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, the Sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Dare to be a Champion

Priced at an affordable RM38 (paperback edition), the 200-page autobiography featuring Datuk Lee Chong Wei was published by Bukuganda Digital & Publication with writing credits to Datuk Lee himself. The book which was released in January 2012 received great support and debuted at #1 at the Kinokuniya bookstores (sports category) and #2 at MPH bookstores (overall category).

True to most autobiography formats, “Dare to be a Champion” unravels the story of Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s life beginning from early childhood to his current status as the reigning World Number 1 Badminton Male Singles Player. Interesting topics includes his accident in 2006, life as an “old” 17 year old aspiring badminton player at the National Sports Institution and a love story featuring his wife.

Written with sincere, honest and simple constructed sentences, the autobiography is touchingly earnest and allows the reader a personal glimpse into the life of Malaysia’s most famous athlete of this decade!

Arguably one of the most epic excerpts found in the book would be Datuk Lee’s personal description of his showdown with famous archrival, Lin Dan at the BWF World Championship on August 14th, 2011. The prestigious tournament was not only viewed by many on a worldwide scale but was also seen as a preview to who would be the favorite to win the gold medal at London’s Olympic Games in 2012. Despite already winning numerous impressive titles, Datuk Lee had oddly never won the BWF World Championship, and it had taken him large amounts of practice to be ready mentally and physically.

Despite an even scoring on the first set, breathtaking climaxes and an impressive display of tactic versus familiarity of each other, China’s representative, Lin Dan once again won the BWF World Championship for the fourth time at London’s Wembley Arena Indoor Stadium. While others have viewed such loss as heartbreaking, especially when it is known that millions had witnessed his defeat worldwide, Datuk Lee gracefully hugged Malaysian coach Tey Seu Bock and simply smiled. Despite the humiliating defeat, Datuk Lee humbly admits that he had tried his best and that “more important, I had displayed a stronger mentality compared to the past. I accepted the defeat without any bitterness.”

Considering that his first foray into the world of badminton tournaments also ended lamentably with a loss to China, Datuk Lee already has a steady track record of wiping off loses before getting back on the saddle onto his next victory win. With the looming 2012 London Olympic Games set to begin in just a few weeks and a serious ligament injury to his ankle at the recent Thomas Cup tournament, Dare to be a Champion by Datuk Lee Chong Wei is set to become the avid badminton enthusiasts’ guidebook to decoding how the mysterious, low-key athlete would triumph over such obstacles before the Olympic games begin!

Besides fancying fast cars and sharing camaraderie love for his fellow badminton superstar, Lin Dan, not much is known about Datuk Lee prior to the publication of his autobiography as he famously maintains a quiet lifestyle outside the badminton court. “Dare to be a Champion” is short, succinct and can be finished in one afternoon sitting but it does its job well of inspiring the reader to never give up, even if it meant having to wake up at 5am every morning and skipping breaks to exceed the performance of your rivals!

Will Datuk Lee win the first ever gold medal for Malaysia in the London Olympics 2012? Share your thoughts below in the comments section!

hi mr lee chong wei, did u forget me? i have sent u an message. i saw ur last olympic match! i nearly want 2 cry when lin dan have win!! don’t worry, if we are dare to win, we must dare to lose… wish u good luck on next time. keep in touch with me, can? bye.

datuk lee~ i just wanna apologize to you~ when you lose~ i scold you without thinking anything~ you dun cry~ don’t be sad~ u r always the best!~ remember that Malaysian are supporting u~ you are my man 😀 Love you ya~

Hello. Don’t give up LEE CHONG WEI! You are my inspiration. Will you stay strong for me even if you don’t know me? I would. My class have a wall of pictures of you on the newspaper and signatures and wishes for you to cheer you up. If only you could see it yourself. haha.

Don’t be sad, don’t worry, Honestly, I’m not sad that you lose, I’m sad because your sad.And congrats for winning Malaysia a silver, I’m happy for you and you’re the best 🙂

May the Lord be with you and blessed you for having a good heart. Your a great a guy, there is more to life than what you imagine 😉 Take care ok. Hope to meet you personally one day.

hi mr lee. I hope you the best life threatment all over your ACTIVITIES. I always thing about in my life which makes me to image your face when I shut my eyes I always remember you when I thing on BADMINTON I alway see my racket to remember your game.my love with you will never explain any way.love lee.

I KNOW THAT YOUR BEST PLAYER I AM NOT TELLING YOU TO GIVEUP
AND WHETHER I KNOW THAT YOUR WATCHING MY COMMENTS I AM TELLING THAT ONLY TO PLAY PEACE DONT KEEP MANY STESS ON IT AND YOUR COACH IS ALSO GOOD I SEED THE PERMOFANCE OF 2011,2013,2014
I WAS GOOD IN 2011 YOU WERE WINED BUT NOT BECAUSE YOUR WERE STRESS PLEASE DO THE BEST THINGS THAT WE WILL SEE AT 2015 JAKARTA IN THAT WE DON,T WANT FORMER WORLD NO.1 WE WANT WORLD.1
SEED I DONT WANT TO SEE YOU BUT IWANT TO SEE THE PERFOMANCE WHICH 2015 IN JAKRTA AND RIO OLYMPICS 2016 TO QUALIFY I WANT TO ALSO BECOME SHUTTLER LIKE WORLD NO.1 LEE CHONG WEI I HOPE THAT YOU WILL SEE MY COMMENT AND ALL BEAT THE WORLD NO.1 CHEN LONG AND LIN DAN FROM CHINA.
YOUR SINCERELY
ADITYA FROM INDIA